It occurred to me today that I didn’t realize when writing my post on Nov 5 commenting on the election, that it was Stick and Drones one year anniversary! I looked back these past few days browsing through some different posts and especially the comments. I can’t tell you how exhilarating the journey has been so far….
Go West Redux…
Here I am again on the West coast where for some reason my sleep disorders love to haunt me. This weekend I participate in a series called Inside The Score with the Oregon Philharmonic. You know the gig – pick a big piece of music, talk about it, play it, go drinking. It’s Brahms Symphony #1 on the docket. But something else has caught my ear and my eye this weekend. Portland is one of those towns where there’s a whole lot of other stuff going on.
Field Dressing the Arts
By this time I would expect anyone who doesn’t live in what is the Last Bastion of Civilized Man in America – AKA the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul – to be utterly tired of my relentless promotion of this area. Those who are indeed tired might want to skip over this post.
The Landing
An emotional night to say the least! There has been so much written said as to the significance of Obama’s win, and the usual “ponderings” of what now and where he stands on the arts. It’s very clear where he stands and the comparison I heard to his win and the 1969 landing on the moon does not even come close to the significance his victory represents…..
The Aftermath….
Now that the election is finally over, it would seem a good time to reflect on what the election of Barack Obama to the highest office in the land means for those of us in the Arts, as well as what it may mean for the rest of American society and our position in the world today.
The Coming Storm
More fabulous news on the Arts front – from the daily updates from organizations around the U.S. that suddenly they’re looking at multi-million dollar deficits due to the worsening economy (muchas gracias, Señor Bush!) to the wonderful news that even the government of that bastion of Liberalism – Australia – has lost it’s collective mind. One wonders if you should start building the bomb shelter.
Audience Poll – Gorilla Style!
My Audience Connection class attended the Springfield Symphony concert on Oct 18, a Big Band themed Pops concert. They were not there to review the concert, but to review the audience! The audience response was tremendous, as was the review in the paper. The students however did an internal eavesdrop poll with interesting results. Our discussion is in three parts below as well as some audio from the concert. I highly recommend every performing arts group do this kind of review!: (podcast 15 and 16 will be up Monday)
Connections
The show that got me hooked on cable TV was called “Connections.” This madman historian, James Burke, produced this fabulous show on science and history that was absolutely riveting. His premise was that history does not proceed in a straight line. So he would talk about one invention and then somehow connect it to something that you wouldn’t believe had any relation to it. It’s hard to describe, but it’s still one of the best shows ever.